The Embers
by Tari Tigerlilly
Summary: The Ministry of Magic is on the brink of collapse, Hermione and Fred are partnered together to finish the final missions of the war. With only a handful of aurors left, it's down to the Order of the Phoenix to clean up.
1. Chapter 1

The smoke hung heavy in the air, residue from the spells. It obscured the little light they had left. Hermione and Fred stood back to back with their hands clutched around their wands in apprehension. The stench of death served as a steady reminder of the consequences that could await them with one wrong move. No one was prepared for the aftermath of the war and the Ministry needed things buried.

The Ministry was weak and welcomed back its staff with open arms. There was a hesitation among witches and wizards but they trickled into the system.

The Auror department was on the brink of collapse as so many had lost their lives. The surviving aurors were full of resentment and lacked faith in the Ministry.

The Order of the Phoenix was summoned and they eventually came to agreement to act as reinforcement. They ran independently from the aurors and their missions were directly from the Minister. Missions were varied and ranged from attending a charity ball to escorting Death Eaters to trials.

The rest of the wizarding world was lost in celebration and relief as it struggled to heal. The Minister hosted regular events as part of a fresh initiative to keep up the moral, a war hero attended each event. A title that Harry, Ron or Hermione didn't approve.

Hermione's head twisted towards a murmur of a sound. Fred's modifications on the extendable ears gave them a few seconds advantage. She was primed for moments like this. A thin stream of liquid flowed from her wand creating a moat of protective light around them. It flashed blindingly bright then absorbed into the ground. Fred knew this tactic well. It reminded him of Errol hitting the window during post.

Fred started a count down internally as he stood by for inevitable impact. Five, the man charged towards them and Fred casually twirled his wand round his fingers. Four, Fred glanced at Hermione and checked she wasn't looking. Three, he shot a jinx causing the man's shoelaces to knot together and chucked as he face planted the floor. Two, Fred listened to profanities and cursing of the man as he jumped back up, his face growing redder by minute. One, he was inches away from Fred running as fast as his legs would go. Zero, Fred heard the clang and watched as the man's nose squished against the glass like charm. The man tumbled backwards, paralyzed from the force.

Fred reached out and yanked him into the circle and resisted the temptation to give him a good kicking. He had a strong intuition it was Crabbe's father in front of him. Fred remembered Ron telling him about his son trying to murder them all in the Room of Requirement.

Hermione released a jinx from her wand, Fred threw her a bemused look as he saw none of her potential targets. Within two seconds, he heard a heavy thud and saw a smug grin on Hermione's face. She may have been a bossy know it all as a child but she had grown up since then. He couldn't ask for a stronger partner on a mission. Their track record was flawless. Between them, they had the fewest injuries and the most successful captures, and Fred loved to remind Harry and Ron of this. Hermione's knowledge and the adaptations of Fred's products gave them the biggest advantage. He observed as Hermione levitated the unconscious body into the circle. He suspected by her sneer she recognised this one.

"You would have thought after all this time, they would have learned to apparate away by now." Hermione glanced down at the two Death Eaters lying at their feet.

"Come on Hermione, you didn't even give them half a chance with that ward. They might have survived five more seconds before hitting the floor." Fred replied crouching down to review their vitals, checks were carried out immediately. He wanted to establish there wasn't anything lurking in their robes. Hermione leaned over the other unconscious man and scanned his body.

"Hey, you can't do the checks it's too risky." He scolded.

Hermione raised her hands up and backed away. It was one of the contributing reasons Kingsley made them partners. The remaining Death Eaters had a talent of sneaking dark artefacts into their robes intending to kill Hermione. Fred's bloodline meant he wasn't at high risk.

"There's no way I'm taking you back to Harry and Ron itty bitty pieces. Both are deluded, they think they can succeed in themselves into thinking they could kill me, and well we don't need them in St Mungo's creating more trouble."

"As if I need them to kill you for me, I'm capable of that." She said as Fred rummaged through the robes.

"Yes, I know, you've demonstrated that a few hundred times." He noticed something unusual. " et viola, suppose we ought to find out what's in store for us today." He said as he levitated the article. His wand started to shake. Another one, he thought to himself as he cast a spell that created a mesh bag around it.

"Just as well you stopped." Hermione didn't appreciate the look in his eyes and changed the subject.

"I'll start to lock down the house. "

"Need a hand?" He asked knowing how exasperating it was to cast such a great spell. Hermione debated in her head if it would be wiser to do it herself or not.

"I suppose it should be more powerful with two signatures, and we'll be able to go to your mum's roast you've been whining about missing for the entire afternoon."

"I resent that, I did not whine I was simply expressing how great they are and it would be a waste of food and time."

They shifted their attention to the house. Hermione saw a child's bike laying on the grass. She feared what happened to the muggles that had lived here. It was secluded in countryside, no one would have heard their cries. She moved the somber thoughts back and concentrated on the door.

A miniature explosion took out the bolt. Fred used a large spell to blow out all the windows in one quick go removing any charms or curses set about sealing up the walls and the chimneys. Hermione may have dropped a surprise for anyone that seeks to floo in. She made sure they would experience getting wedged in a chimney, then a good coating of charcoal, a small scorching and finally be blasted out to land in the murky pond.


	2. Chapter 2

"Are you positive we can't just use those bags muggles put bodies into transport these gits?"Fred said with enthusiasm.

"They aren't for transporting living people."

"There's a simple solution to that."

They levitated the unconscious men inside the holding cell and Fred confiscated their wands. The room served several purposes, from an office to a nap room. Every Friday Hermione uses it to host a support group for the orphans of the war. It was a small department with insufficient resources.

Hermione realized that the captives would be wake soon. The heavy door behind them slammed closed, they could hear multiple locks clicking into place. "We better find Kingsley before we head home." Fred groaned at the prospect, knowing Kingsley he'd have to finish writing a statement. The joke shop and late night missions had been taking a toll on him.

"Can't we copy the last statement?" He pleaded. They navigated their way through to Kingsley's office- one of the few people who had held onto their own personal office.

"I convinced Kingsley to set up a template to save time, and because Harry and Ron aren't adding the relevant information."

"You little genius, you. It must have been a shock for them now they need to write their own reports."

The door to Kingsley's office opened on cue. They took their usual spots in front of his desk, he glanced away from the blank piece of parchment he had been reading and grinned at the pair.

"Hermione, Fred, it's good to see you. How did your mission go?" Kingsly asked.

"Nothing unusual, just one dark object." Fred said, thankful that he had been insistent and carried the tests himself.

"Send it over to Bill."

"It's he said I can watch the checks." Hermione answered. The blank parchment caught her eyes, which Kingsley didn't miss and promptly locked the offending article away.

"I believe you have a tight schedule." Kingsley said not wanting to ruffle any more feathers.

"Of course there's another party to attend." The bitterness was clear in her voice. Fred could understand why the golden trio always looked worse for wear after visiting these occasions. In fact, they were often chirpier on their return from the missions even after they had filled out the paperwork.

"I hope you've reminded Harry and Ron that they need to attend."

"Fred that will go with you. Harry and Ron will attend the under 10s Quidditch league tournament." Fred hadn't told Hermione that he was going yet. He wasn't obliged to go but volunteered himself after Ron mentioned the match to him last week. Fred didn't dream of sending her alone after the state she was in after her last appearance. Hermione glared back at Kingsley but knew deep down it wasn't his fault.

"I understand you don't appreciate this and I'm not overjoyed about it either. Once things settle down, you'll be able to step out of the public eye. If the rest of the wizarding world can see you doing well, moving on, then there's nothing stopping them."

"It's only a matter of time before one of us cracks." Hermione snapped fed up of the farce they had been playing.

"There are three marked death eaters left to find. Their hiding places are running out. We're expecting new information today from the two men you brought back. Once we capture their associates, we can stamp out their philosophies but we will need your cooperation to make it work."

"This is utter madness but I have no other alternative." She stood up with Fred ready to leave.

"It won't be for much longer now." He said. "Last question, same as usual. Do you need to change your partner?"

"No." They both replied.

"Thank Merlin, that's one less change I have to make to the schedules." Hermione eyed him suspiciously. "We reviewed Harry and Ron last night. Their performance has been somewhat lacking, and they need new partners." This news surprised no one. Harry and Ron jumped conclusions at an alarming rate, their stubbornness only made situations worse. "Well, you better leave, otherwise Molly will come for my head. Please send my apologies."

"Of course." Fred replied, grateful to escape. The pair made their way to one of the repaired fireplaces, then the comforting smell of Molly's cooking in the air.


	3. Chapter 3

It was a relief for them to be back even though Molly was now making them wash the dishes. A task neither of them liked but there was something nice about doing something mundane. Hermione could hear Ron grumbling about the unfairness of being a war hero still has to do clean plates. The grumbles came to a swift stop after a rapid flash of light.

"Ow, bloody hell. Ginny!" Ron yelled nursing his head, she laughed and carried on.

'Nice one, Ginny." George said in approval.

"And you call yourself an Auror." Fred laughed and high-fived Ginny as she walked past whilst floating the dishes back into the correct cupboard.

Molly had the urge to stop the bickering, but she let it go thankful some things didn't change.

In theory, her children were old enough to sort it out themselves. A green flash appeared and distracted her thoughts as Bill arrived and shook the ashes off his feet.

"Sorry I'm late, did I miss anything?" He said while he hugged Molly not taking his eyes off the fireplace.

"No, no, not at all. Sit down for goodness' sake and I'll fetch you dinner."

"We're fine mum, we've just eaten." Another flash later and Fleur stepped out of the fireplace beaming which surprised everyone.

"Mrs Weasley, 'ow are you?" Fleur said embracing Molly.

"Please dear, call me Molly."

"Is everyone here?" Bill asked as he tried to count to see if he had missed anyone. He counted ten including Fleur, Hermione, and Harry, he remembered that Charlie couldn't make this evening due to a distempered dragon, but he could have sworn that there was one missing. Sadness ate away at him as he remembered that Percy was never coming back. He moved on pushing back the feelings, he had to for everyone's sake.

Bill encouraged everyone to gather round and placed his arm around Fleur.

"Well, Fleur and I have a big announcement to make." He paused, certain it was obvious. "We're having a baby." Time was at a complete standstill until they'd been engulfed in a giant hug. His mother's eyes were teary as she congratulated them and his dad wasn't far from crying either.

"My baby's having a baby. I can't believe it." She turned to Arthur, "Our first grandchild." Arthur smiled back.

"Alright everyone, calm down, it's just another Weasley." Fred said making people back off. He looked over at George. "Oi, George, you owe me five galleons. Cough up."

George sulked but pulled the coins out from his pocket and begrudgingly passed them over to Fred.

"Really? You made a bet on your own niece or nephew?" Hermione said with a tone of disgust.

"Hermione, Hermione, Hermione, this is just the beginning of a beautiful friendship with my niece or nephew. Besides, it will go on a new toy for the baby."

"Well I suppose that's a little better, but can you please remember that children's toys don't explode." Hermione said.

"That would take all the fun away. I mean kids need to learn about explosions at some point. It's better when they're in a safe and supervised environment." George piped up.

Fred waltzed out of the room giving Hermione a chance to speak to the happy couple, she congratulated them on their announcement. It was then Hermione wondered if Bill could postpone de-cursing the artifact until tomorrow afternoon when she could sit and watch. It would put her in a better mood after going to that stupid party. But at least she got to go with Fred this time which should keep her entertained.

"Bill? Could we rearrange the time for the artifact assessment tomorrow? I have to attend another celebration thanks to Kingsley. I would still love to come and see for myself what I could be up against."

Bill looked at her with confusion at first before he realized she was on about a work-related activity, and that he might be able to sort it. There were a few tasks he would need to shuffle around but he the more he thought about, the more he wanted her to know the challenges ahead.

"I'll have a quick word with my supervisor."

"Thank you so much, Bill I appreciate it." Hermione said with relief.

—- -

Fred had spent the past ten minutes knocking on Hermione's door and had tried to encourage her to get ready. He had put on his dress robes a good hour ago. He wasn't certain she'd even attend the event at this rate due to her stubbornness. She had locked her door, after several attempts of breaking in, he had no choice but to wait. Hermione emerged moments later wearing a pretty dress and light makeup. It was only a year go he'd last seen her dressed up, but it felt like a lifetime ago. She looked more tired than before, but her cheeks weren't as hollow as last week he thought to himself.

"You look lovely."He said which she ignored.

Hermione wanted to get the morning over with, who has a party in the morning she thought. They flooed to the Ministry and found tables covered with extravagant decorations, flowers, and golden plates which seemed excessive.

There wasn't a house-elf in sight, they had hidden them all. Hermione already thought about a plan, it developed in her head. If she had to attend a celebration then she would make a difference.

Fred made sure they arrived early. He hoped that someone would brief them on the plan of action. He searched for the organizer, only to find a few people rushing around. After some deliberation, he walked up to what he walked up to a busy witch.

"I was wondering if you could help me?" He asked.

"For goodness' sake Arnold, not now, we have to put the decorations up and we have less than an hour before everyone arrives, it's not that difficult-" She said in a worried tone, as she carried on creating more flowers. Fred cleared his throat, and she turned around and looked up in horror. She took a second to regain her thoughts as she stared at him realizing that it was not her new intern Arnold. "I am so, so, sorry. I thought, that you were my intern. Wait, you're not supposed to be here yet! " She said flabbergasted.

"Oh, are we too early?" Fred said surprised. Kingsley had pre-warned him that the Ministry often requests members of the Golden Trio to arrive twenty minutes everyone else. The witch checked her watch and looked panicked.

"My mistake, you are on time. Right, this way if you follow me." She walked past a boy that looked younger than Hermione and stopped in her tracks as she glimpsed at the monstrosity of flowers he had tried to create. The witch had a horrified expression on her face and scrunched her eyes closed taking in a deep breath before continuing on their walk. The witch walked them to the archway then disappeared.

A loud explosion of confetti distracted the intern from his flowers, and Fred quickly changed the transfigured them, he'd be the first to admit they weren't the prettiest in the hall but it was a much-needed improvement. Hermione smiled at him and a look of pity crossed her face at the intern who seemed to be having just as much fun as her.

Fred gestured that they needed to make a move and follow the witch who had come back through the archway looking for them. The corridor was dark and narrow, but it wasn't long until there were in a lift. The now very stressed witch pressed the button and stepped out before muttering good luck.

"Good luck? Is it me or did she not tell us where we're supposed to go."

"She didn't." Hermione stated. "These events aren't known for their organizational skills."

The lift dinged after a sudden halt and the doors opened revealing Lucius Malfoy. Hermione and Fred drew out their wands.

"Now, now, there's no need for that behavior." Lucius Malfoy stated smugly. The two refused to drop their guard, even when Kingsley arrived.

"What's he doing here?" Hermione spat annoyed that Kingsley hadn't mentioned that Malfoy would be in attendance.

"Mr Malfoy is the sponsor of the event today, he wants to talk to you about what needs to be said today." Kingsley said feeling uneasy. He knew if he'd told either of them in advance they wouldn't have attended.

"You've got to be joking." Hermione shouted with disdain.

"If you think for one second, I will listen to him then you've got another thing coming," Fred retorted.

"Well aren't the little Gryffindors welcoming." Lucius said enjoying the trouble he was causing. But if he was funding the event, then he was having control over what was being said, especially when it concerned the future of his family and their reputation.

"Lucius, remember what we spoke about?" Kingsley interjected- the last thing he needed was a fight between a war hero, the owner of WWW and a former Death Eater to hit tomorrow's front page of the Daily Prophet.

"Of course."

"Well then stick to it." Kingsley replied.

"As you know, my family name is tarnished in light of recent events, but, I need you to inform everyone my family is sponsoring this event."

"If you think you can just buy yourself out of this situation-" Hermione started.

"Well, that's the thing, I can. I will make a very generous donation to the orphans of the war fund but only if you do your job well today."

Hermione felt herself crack on the inside, he wasn't doing it for the right reasons. But to deny the children from getting the money they so needed right now was the worth the price.

"Fine, I'll do it, but only if you start a fund for the house elves and free every single one from the Malfoy residence." Money meant nothing to Lucius. Hermione thought he should have to make sacrifices not to mention she was certain that the house elves received less than satisfactory care there.

Lucius glared at her but knew he needed her and this lot could not be bribed with money. He knew the Weasleys were financially stable with the profit from WWW, and having a war hero status which led to getting sponsors that were being thrown at them left, right and center at them.

"I believe we have struck a deal, Miss Granger."

It surprised Fred she agreed but suspected she was up to something. He remembered when she hid a news reporter in a matchbox for months on end, boil hexes and the stories Ron came home with, he needed to watch out a bit more.

—


	4. Chapter 4

The hall was decorated with banners and bright confetti that constantly fell from above. Children held small sparklers in their hands that morphed into miniature dragons that morphed around, courtesy of Fred and George.

The crowds gathered around the centered stage, Hermione heard people laughing and joking. By making one she'd help the orphans and the house elves, plus she had another idea up her sleeve. Hermione took a deep breath.

"Welcome to the Victory party, thank you, everyone, today for coming to this event so kindly sponsored by the Malfoy family. The Malfoys have asked me to announce that they will start a new trust fund for muggleborns students at Hogwarts." Hermione heard some collective gasps around the room followed by quiet murmuring. Her eyes landed on Lucius who had a tight smile on his face, satisfied with this she continued.

"Our victory defeating Voldemort came at a great cost. Every person in this room has lost someone dear to them. We share this in common, we all know someone that is no longer with us, friends, children, aunts, uncles, brothers," She paused for a moment and stared at Fred's face, she knew how much missed Percy. "sisters, and parents. It's hard enough to lose the ones we love, but the ones that brought us into the world and fought to protect every step of the way is one of the hardest things. This is why the Malfoys have decided to give a generous donation to the orphans of the war trust. Nothing in the world can replace our loved ones, but in their honor, we must help those most affected and make them proud. We must support each other through these difficult times as we mourn, but remember that there's hope. They will live on through our hearts. We will never forget the sacrifice they made for us."

Hermione let out a long sigh of relief and peeked over at Fred, who gave her a small thumbs up. He was lucky as there were no speeches for him. It was only Hermione, Harry, and Ron that gave the speeches, and Kinglsey tried to book Hermione or Harry.

Home. The ran repeatedly through her head. Three death eaters then she could go home, see her parents again, and talk to her cousins. Joining the wizarding world was amazing at first but it isolated her away from her family. The number of secrets she had to keep from her parents had become unbearable. She wasn't sure how much she could tell them but it was her main focus.

She found Fred waiting for her and they mingled with the crowd making as much polite conversation as they could until someone asked how Ron was feeling.

"With his hands of course." Fred joked about covering Hermione's hesitation. It was another reason the three weren't teamed up together anymore. The man who asked laughed with Fred. Hermione glanced over at Fred and mouthed thanks, he nodded then checked his watch for the time.

"Well, it's been lovely meeting you all, pop into the shop for a chat anytime. But we have to go as someone is desperate to get back to her research and saving the house-elves." Everyone around them groaned. "I'll give you some discount the next time you come in the shop." He said followed by a wink.

"Come on, we'll go to Bill before you gouge out someone's eyeballs with a spoon." He whispered in her ear making her smile.

"Have you seen Bill break a cursed object before?" Fred asked intrigued.

"No, not Bill, but I've seen objects in action."

"Ah yes, Katie who could forget that necklace. Lovely gift from Draco wasn't it although it's strange to send Dumbledore a necklace don't you think? I didn't think it was his color at all."

"Fred that's not funny, she nearly died!"

" I'm joking, it is a little funny though. Out of the thousands of ways to kill someone, and he picked a necklace."

"Ok, I'll give you that but remember Draco was exhausted and not thinking straight. He had to prove himself to save his parents and at the same time and debating swapping sides. The idea of having to fight his school friends and not to mention his family he's known for all his life made him on edge."

"Well when you put it like that, nope wait, he's still an idiot."

The doors popped open to a cool quiet corridor. Hermione relaxed, and her breathing slowed. Fred led them down the corridor and hoped this it would be easier than his last visit before the war. The security had been ridiculous that day, including asking for his great grandparent's names on his mother's side, the last death in the family, hand over his wand and they even had the nerve to ask for a drop of blood. Then, they asked for some free products. All of that to deliver a letter from his mother. Why she didn't send an owl Fred will never understand.

To his surprise, there was no one there. No pestering wizards asking his family history, as he walked down the first corridor, the second and the third were empty too.

"It's too quiet." He murmured to Hermione.

They continued walking down the marble maze of corridors and stopped at a large door with a bronze troll head knocker. The door automatically swung open making a loud groaning noise. Bill sat on the opposite end of the room behind a large desk filled with corked bottles clouded with darkness.

"Fred, Hermione, come in."

"Sorry we're late, but Ministry events always overrun," Fred stated.

"Yes, they do get carried away. Anyway, you're here now and that's what matters if you give me one second and I'll go get the object you found."

The pair moved closer to the desk and Fred picked up one of the jars and shook it, a small tornado formed inside. The jar continued to shake in hands even though he had stopped. Hermione gave him a look uncannily like his mother's and he slowly put the jar back down showed her his now empty hands. Bill walked in carrying an item wrapped up in cloth and placed it on the table. With his wand, he lifted off the fabric revealing a silver brooch with a large opal that had rather delicate wings.

On further inspection, Bill scribbled down notes on the parchment. Hermione recognized some ancient runes and was grateful that she didn't touch this one. Death, fear, and everlasting runes never seemed like a good idea in the same combination. As Bill carried on writing she noticed the brooch flap its wings.

"Is it supposed to move?" She asked which caused Bill to look up and towards the bug brooch.

"No, no it's definitely not supposed to do that." He replied calmly.

"Fred, take Hermione outs-" The brooch's wings picked up their speed and took off heading for Hermione. She grabbed her wand and raised it in the air.

"Protengo!" She shouted, the bug bounced off the invisible shield but kept trying to break through the barrier, while Fred and Bill tried to distract it. Fred found an empty jar under the desk and charmed the lid off and chucked it at Bill who quickly captured the broach his gloved hands covering the lid. It tried to fight its way out and towards Hermione. With a struggle, he sealed on the lid.

"Sorry Hermione, Fred. That's a first for me and you both I suspect." Bill inspected the jar and the brooch was still trying to escape and hit the sides of the glass making a sharp ringing sound with each time.

"What was that?!" Fred asked, peering at the jar. Bill hesitated then summoned down a dusty heavy book, gold flecks ran along the spine where the title had worn away. The book flew open to what Bill hoped was the right page. He studied the small calligraphy in deep thought forgetting that Hermione and Fred were still there. Hermione couldn't resist and read through the text to get an idea of what just happened.

"Target spells?"

"Well, it makes sense as it was going for you." Fred muttered. "Is it friends with Skeeter and wanted to get revenge?" He joked, she shot him another look, but he knew she wasn't too mad.

"It looks as though they've found a way for jewelry to target muggleborns now, who would suspect a small little bug?" Bill stated as he realized the impact it could have on the muggleborns if one bug escaped in Diagon Alley. It could go on a killing before it's caught, that's if anyone could work out it was the culprit. The brooch was small enough it was unlikely anyone would see it coming. Bill summoned down another a small, well-loved book and passed it to Hermione.

"I think it's best if you give this a read who knows it might just save your life. I suggest you share it with anyone else who might need it. I'm going to find Kingsley before these get even more out of hand, hopefully, it's just a one-off."

Hermione and Fred nodded and got escorted out of the room by Bill. It wasn't that they couldn't be trusted, well it was because Fred couldn't be trusted. Bill had regulations he had to follow even if there was no one about to enforce them, it was just a habit.

"What book did he give you?"

"Basic curse breaking," Hermione said taking in its almost juvenile cover and was taken aback when Fred took it from her hands and opened the book looking for something. It was only a few seconds until she saw him smiling and pointing at a particular page.

"Look, I drew that." Referring to the crude drawing of a mummy with green eyes chasing what she could only assume was Bill, she looked at him with disapproval. "He got it from one of his teachers at Hogwarts maybe in his second year, he couldn't put it down. He wouldn't let anyone touch it, he read it every day. He was worse than Harry with that potion book Snape had. So, George and I took it upon ourselves to get a hold of it one way. This book made him want to be a Curse-breaker. I'm pretty sure mum would like to throttle the teacher that gave it to him."

"I'll have to thank your brother later and make sure he gets this copy back." Hermione looked taken aback that she would get such a personal book, but if he didn't have another copy, he had little choice but to give it to her. She made a mental note that she would have to buy one on her next trip to Diagon Alley.

"Isn't there a meeting tonight?" Fred remembered.

"There's always a meeting." She stated then looked down at her watch realizing the time. They had spent longer at the party than they thought. "We should head over now, it won't be long until it starts."

"Mum will kill me if we're late for tea.' He said anxiously remembering the last time he and Hermione had returned later than expected. He knew she only shouted because she cared but sometimes things overrun. It's not like catching death eaters is straightforward, they don't want to be caught especially not to our time scale and planning, but returning home late wasn't acceptable. An infinite amount of scenarios could have happened according to his mum even ones he was sure didn't even exist.

"I don't doubt that for a second, maybe Kingsley will have some new information for us."


	5. Chapter 5

Hermione sat around the table in Grimmauld place reading. Her eyes would leave the pages to glimpse at the clock every few minutes. Ginny took a seat next and let out a heavy sigh.

"What's wrong with you?" Hermione asked closing her book.

"Tryouts for the Holly Head Harpies are this weekend but I'm on a mission."

"Can't you trade a night with someone?"

"Neville's got a date with Hannah, George has to restock the shop and Lee's volunteered to help him, Angelina's on a mission to Romania and Harry's visiting the Dursleys."

Hermione raised her eyebrows in surprise and kept her jaw from dropping.

"He can't possibly be serious? They abused him for years!"

"It's his last link to his mum." Ginny said. Hermione nodded her head in understanding. Her eyes flicked across to the clock again, then to the door. "Who are you waiting for?" Hermione glanced back to Ginny.

"I don't know what you mean. Would you like me to speak to Kingsley about trading shifts?"

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Ginny squealed and hugged Hermione tightly.

"So she agreed then." George said as he popped in and took the free seat next to Hermione. "She's been pestering me all day to swap, I've never had so many owls in the shop. Verity opened the till and found at least three letters inside."

"I swear I only sent one!"

A loud pop distracted them. Fred was struggling with a bag the size of a trunk trying to get it through the door. He levitated it through the house until it landed with a thump in the middle of the table.

"Ginevra. Would you care to explain this?" Ginny's eyes widened then stood up to view the contents of the bag. Letters."Open one." Fred said raising his eyebrows. Ginny grabbed an envelope and sat down and opened it. There was her handwriting scrawled across the parchment asking Fred to swap shifts.

"Fred get your mess off the table." Molly chastised bringing in several snacks.

"But it's not mine-"

"Fredrick Gideon Weasley if you don't get that off the table in the three seconds you'll be cleaning this house from top to bottom, without magic."

Kingsley walked and chuckled at the injured look on Fred's face.

"But-" One look from his mother was enough, and he whirled out of sight. Everyone was seated and Kingsley started.

"There are several things I'd like to address today, firstly we have a partner change."

"But we're happy with our partners." George complained as he glanced over at Katie.

"Yes, I think some of you are too happy and may take unnecessary risks. You are dating, and it's too risky." George looked offended and was about to say something but his mother stopped him. "There're other reasons for swapping your partners. The sweep you and Katie carried out found some new evidence. Death Eaters are hiding in the muggle world. We need all of you to be partnered with someone that has a good knowledge of the muggle world."

"How can death eaters survive in the muggle world? They can't just kill everyone on their street and expect people not to notice. They wouldn't know how to do chores with magic let alone without it." George said.

"Which is the reason we need one of you to have in-depth muggle knowledge. We need to spot non-muggle behavior." Fred and Hermione threw each other a glance, Fred gestured towards Harry and Ron to which Hermione nodded in agreement. They had their own suspicions about Kingsley's reasons.

"Katie, you're with Ginny. George, you will have Harry, and Ron, you'll now be with Angelina. Lee, you will be with Neville, and that leaves Hermione and Fred." Kingsley said.

"That's not fair, why don't Hermione and Fred have to swap?" Ron whined.

"Think it about it, Hermione's a muggleborn and we're pureblood." George said in a patronizing voice.

"Harry grew up in the muggle world and we had to swap."

"Were you not listening? I'm not allowed to partner up with Katie anymore and Lee and Angelina are both half-blooded so need to partner a pureblood." Ron looked at George in utter confusion as he tried to work out the pairs in his head.

"Moving on." Kingsley said, hoping to distract Ron from the partner swap. We discovered a new dark object, and it targets muggleborns. So far we've found only one, but it comes in the form of a necklace that can detach from its wearer. The necklace is free to fly around and will be a serious threat to muggleborns. An investigation is already underway but please be on the lookout for any type jewelry you may find in your checks." The Order looked around worried and most of snuck a peek at Hermione.

"I'm not saying you can't look after yourself Hermione, but for my peace of mind, it would be better if you buddied up with someone." Molly said waiting for the onslaught. Everyone else around the table nodded in agreement.

"Absolutely not! I do not need a babysitter." She all but shouted.

"It was just a suggestion dear." Molly replied. Kingsley, had other ideas, he wouldn't outright give Hermione a babysitter, but someone to watch out for her wouldn't be the end of the world.

Fleur jumped up in surprise.

"What's the matter, what's wrong?" Bill said. "The baby's first kick." Fleur smiled and pressed his hand against her stomach distracting the rest of order into a moment of awe.

"Well, that must mean he's hungry." Molly said glad to change the subject.

"It must be time to eat."

—-

Hermione wandered around Flourish and Botts. The damage to the shop hadn't been too significant. It took a few days to repair back to its former glory with her help. She was roaming the shelves looking for another copy of basic curse breaking so she could give Bill back his original one. Plus the book intrigued her, and she knew an advanced book would be more appropriate. It didn't take her long to find what she was looking for although she ended up with more in her basket than she planned. She couldn't help herself when she spotted a book on charming jewelry. She decided that it was enough books for today and found a new familiar face smiling at her.

"Why don't you take the whole bookshop home?" Atria laughed.

"Because then there would be nothing left the next time I visit." Hermione replied as reached into her bag for some galleons.

"No, you're not paying for this. Free books for life, remember?"

"I insist." She said placing the coins on the counter.

"Take it back, this shop still wouldn't be up and running without your help." The girl said in all seriousness.

"Thank you, that's kind of you." Hermione said too tired to argue.

"See, that wasn't difficult. See you soon Hermione."

Hermione stepped out the door with the books clutched to her chest. She felt a hard force hit her and dropped her books to the floor. Fred Weasley stood in front her and looked dazed.

"Fred? Are you alright?" She said as she bent down to retrieve her books off the floor.

"Brilliant, I'm superb." He said with his tone not matching his words. She noticed the bags under his puffy eyes.

"Why don't we get a coffee?" Hoping a caffeine hit might help him get through his day.

"Oh, I can't right now. I have to get this book for this product me and George are working on. We've got so much left to do to restock before all the kids go back to Hogwarts. You're coming to that meeting tonight though, right?

"I'll be there, I can't wait to see all the events they have lined me up for this week."

"S'not for long now." He said holding up three fingers. "See you tonight."

Hermione made her way back to the Leaky Cauldron and had one foot in the fireplace and turned around to hear a familiar drawl.

"Hello Granger, I believe we need to have a little chat."


	6. Chapter 6

Hermione looked disgusted at the hot chocolate sat in front of her. She glared at Draco waiting for an explanation.

"I haven't poisoned it." He drawled as if it was obvious.

"What do you want Malfoy?"

"I need a favor." She laughed humourlessly.

"You've got to be kidding."

"Well, you've banished all the house elves and caused me to lose most my inheritance. So it looks as though you owe me."

"What are you talking about?"

"Your little stunt at the victory party."

"Oh, come on, that wouldn't make a dent in your pocket."

"It may surprise you Granger, but I don't have control of the Malfoy fortune. The fines from the war have drained most of my account and I need a job."

"Run along and ask your daddy for money." She mocked.

"I don't want his money and want to be free of him, the manor, and his association. Walking down Diagon Alley is now a game with jinxes being thrown at me."

"I am sorry, they shouldn't be doing that."

"It's well deserved, I did awful things." He shuddered at the memories. "I need everyone to understand I don't agree with my father and I'm not him. My father is donating our money will help rebuild our name, but it's not enough. Money won't change what we did. People will assume we're bribing our way out." Draco paused and looked hesitant. "I contacted Kingsley, and he suggested speaking to you about volunteering and being part of it."

"So you want to waltz into a room full of kids, who got hurt by your family and expect everyone to be ok with that?"

"I made bad decisions and can't rectify what my family did." He said casting his eyes down twitching his thumbs.

"You wouldn't even where to start." Hermione said still baffled, but she had to at least try to appease Kingsley.

"Then teach me, show me."

Hermione paused and sipped her chocolate, her eyes lit up.

"We need a plan." Relief washed his face. "Muggle studies would be a good start."

"Sorry?"

"It's part of the long-term plan we're hoping to start at Hogwarts. First, it needs to go through the ministers, we're starting with my group first as the ministers are insisting on a trial."

"Slow down, what's being trialed?"

"We want the students to experience the muggle world and understand muggles aren't that different from us and prevent history from repeating itself."

"You're less likely to fight things you know, and friends."

"That's what we're hoping for. The first trip is next week, I'm taking them to the London eye on the tube."

"The London Eye? Who wants to see an eye?"

"It's a Ferris wheel and a popular tourist attraction."

"Ferris wheel?"

Hermione laughed as she tried to explain to him the vertical wheel. He questioned why people created it without a cushioning charm and what would delude anyone into thinking it was a good idea. Draco then moved onto the flaws of the Underground. At first, he assumed the tube was a pipe people jumped down and popped up in the right place.

—-

Fred had dark circles under his eyes that a pepper up potion couldn't fix. The twins had been busy as work restock their products in time for the ending of the summer holidays. After the meeting later this evening he'd have carry on restocking to stick George's schedule. He realized Hermione was right about the coffee break and remembered the cafe she took him opposite the Leaky Cauldron.

Fred heard a familiar laugh as he walked through the pub, his eyebrows arched as he watched Hermione with Malfoy. He lingered out of sight.

"They have underground trains?" Draco asked.

"Yes, they're a quick way to get around London." Hermione replied.

After being wrapped in them for too long Fred slipped out and headed for his much-needed coffee break.

—

Ginny and Harry were small specs as they flew on their brooms in the air. Ginny had taken the quaffle easily from him as Harry tried to keep up. Their brooms were side by side, she smiled at him brightly and then took the lead cheering as she scored a goal. Hermione heard Ginny's victory sitting against the tree as she studied her latest book: Charming Jewellery.

A loud thump jolted her upright, the book flew out of her hands as she searched for her wand. She gripped it tightly and looked up to find Fred crouched in front of her brushing the leaves off his shirt.

"FRED! DON'T DO THAT!" She shrieked, she was breathing faster from the rush of adrenaline. He chuckled and passed the book back to her noting its cover. He sat opposite his legs stretched out in front of him and kicked his shoes off revealing orange and magenta striped socks.

"Calm down, Granger. Happy to see me?"

"I'd be happier if you weren't trying to give me a heart attack."

"Doth the marvelous witch have plans for such a beautiful evening." She eyed him cautiously.

"What are you planning?"

"Would you care to join the best prankers in the world and learn the secrets of our trade?" Hermione snorted. "It's a once in a lifetime offer."

"Will you stop pestering me if I do?"

"Hermione, you've wounded my soul. Here I am kindly asking you if you want to witness history in the making."

"Ok, I'll come."

"At least try to sound enthusiastic."

"Yes Fred, of course, I would be absolutely delighted in viewing this historical achievement. I am truly honored and thankful for this opportunity."

"Alight, there's no need to ham it up."

"But seriously, I would like to." He beamed down at her.

"Excellent I could do with the extra help." Hermione squinted her eyes at him. "We'll go straight after the meeting, Lee's already ordered food."

Molly stood at the kitchen door pointing her wand at her throat. Her voice called to them loud and clear.

"Ginny, Harry- The meeting starts in five minutes." Both figures came to a slow as Ginny chucked the quaffle to Harry and dismantled the hoops.

Fred rose from his place on the floor and then pulled up Hermione. They strolled into the kitchen to George thrashing Ron in exploding snap.

"Did you ask her?" George said to Fred as they sat down around the dining table.

"Yeah, I'm coming over this evening to help," Hermione replied.

"Oh, yeah to help." George said almost skeptically. Fred dragged his finger across his neck in a slitting motion it caused a sly grin to emerge on George's face. "I really appreciate you helping us Hermione."

"You're welcome." She said slowly while throwing Fred an appraising look.

The fire roared and kitchen flashed a vibrant green. Kingsley brushed the soot off his robes and passed everyone a piece of parchment.

"There's a pressing issue going on at the Ministry, so I can't stay long. These are your agendas for the week. Fred and George made an adaption of their invisible ink range, so only the intended can read it."

"You'll need these." Fred said reaching into his pocket to pull out the DA coin, whilst George gave one to Molly and Arthur. "Each parchment has the creature of your Patronus in the middle."

"Place your coin in the middle of the parchment and it will reveal the ink and conceal your coin. To remove your coin just touch it whilst thinking of your happiest memory." George said.

Hermione placed her coin on the dancing otter, it absorbed into the parchment like molten lava.

George, Harry, Lee, and Neville: Clear Borgin and Burkes

Ron and Angelina: Check the Malfoy's jewelry collection

Katie and Ginny: Perform a sweep of the Lestrange's Vault

Harry and Ron: To attend The National Wizard Chess Tournament

Ron, Ginny, Katie, and George: To attend 327th St Mungo's Charity Ball

Fred and Hermione:

Angelina, Ginny, George, Draco: Volunteering at the London Eye

"Hermione and Fred I hope you didn't have plans, you'll be leaving for your mission tonight. Go pack your essentials." Kingsley stated.

"Now?" Fred questioned, Kingsley, nodded. "But the shop-"

"We'll be fine." George leaned closer to Fred and whispered in his ear.

"Would you trust anyone else to take Hermione?" He wavered for a moment then shook his head. "Then go."

"It's a tragedy, Lee will have to cope without the better-looking twin." Fred said.

Hermione grabbed her books off the table and headed upstairs followed by Fred. They entered Ginny's room, and she fetched her beaded bag safely tucked under the bed.

"What do you think Kingsley has in store for us?"

"I have a hunch, but whatever it is he doesn't want the others to know."

"Do tell."

"You know better than anyone that walls have ears." He shrugged his shoulders in response and sprinted up the stairs and returned with a worn leather briefcase.


End file.
